Populations of North Island brown kiwi, kākā and long-tailed bats are starting to swell as pest control efforts within Pukenui Forest near Whangārei ramp up.
The Pukenui Trust team are celebrating a a record-breaking year in pest reduction and will soon move into the previously untackled eastern part of the 2000-hectare forest. It's been 17 years since pest control began in the area, and with the advent of time, and advancements in technology, the birdsong is at times, deafening.
Colloquially referred to as "the lungs of the city", Pukenui Forest borders Whangārei city on the west, covering around 1700ha from the Whau Valley area, north, down to Kara Rd towards Maungatapere, south. It was logged in the 1920s but has since regenerated and is the largest remaining remnant of native lowland forest in the district.
Pukenui Trust chair and volunteer is Tim Martin.
Photo: Supplied by Tim Martin
